Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital has agreed to pay $20 million to settle a lawsuit brought by a former Chicago attorney who suffered brain damage after he was allegedly misdiagnosed.

Christopher Zinski, of Wheaton, went to Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield late one night four years ago complaining of a headache, neck pain, vomiting and disorientation. The then-50-year-old man was given pain medication and sent home, said his attorney, Kevin G. Burke of Burke Wise Morrissey & Kaveny.

Two days later, Zinski collapsed at his desk at law firm Schiff Hardin, where he was a partner. He had suffered a stroke, according to the suit filed in Cook County Circuit Court in 2013. He sustained serious damage to his short-term memory and can't remember any new information for more than about a half hour, Burke said.

"He's never going to have a normal life again," Burke said. "He's never going to have the career he could have finished with. He's never going to have the friendships he enjoyed."

Judge Thomas Lyons signed an order approving the settlement Monday. A trial in the case started Oct. 28.

Northwestern Memorial HealthCare spokesman Christopher King said in a statement that Northwestern's mission each day is to provide patients with high-quality, compassionate care.

"While we believe the care provided at that time was appropriate, we hope this settlement brings closure to the patient and his family," King said in the statement. At the time Zinski visited the hospital, it was part of Cadence Health, which Northwestern Memorial HealthCare acquired in 2014.

Zinski and his wife, Pattie Zinski, alleged the hospital was medically negligent. Those who treated Zinski should have ordered a CT scan and consulted with a neurologist, they alleged.

A CT scan would have revealed the problem, Burke said. At that point, doctors could have performed a procedure to stop a recurrence of the bleeding in Zinski's brain, preventing the damage he ultimately suffered, Burke said.

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In an email, Pattie Zinski called brain injury a devastating tragedy for many families. She said she hopes her family's story sparks change in hospital policy so other families don't have to experience what her family has endured. The Zinskis have four children.

"The person Chris Zinski was when he left for work on Sept. 17, 2012, at Schiff Hardin and the person he is today are two separate people," Pattie Zinski said. "We will always miss the father and husband that Chris was but we will always care for him and treasure the rest of the time we have with him."